I knew she was going to try something stupid. Serena is reckless, stubborn, and too damn bold for her own good. She doesn't understand what it means to be mine yet, but she will. Soon.

The moment I stepped into the courtyard and saw her kneeling beside the dead guard, her hands shaking, eyes wide with horror, something twisted deep inside me. She thought he would come back, just like I do.

But she doesn't realize - there is only one Ryker. Only I have been cursed with immortality. The rest? They bleed. They die. They stay dead.

I watched her tremble, her lips parting, as if reality had just slapped her in the face. She was afraid, not of me, but of what she had done. She should be. But instead of punishing her, instead of yelling or forcing her to submit, I felt something dark curl in my chest, something close to satisfaction. Because now, she was stained by blood.

My little hellfire was one step closer to me. I moved toward her, silent, controlled, while her breath hitched. Immediately she saw me, she attempt to flee but I was quick enough to grabbed her. I grabbed her waist and pulled her against me, her entire body stiffened. She should have fought. She should have tried to run. But she didn't. Instead, she just stood there, her back pressed to my chest, shaking.

I leaned down, breathing in the scent of her, smoke and fire, chaos and fear. My mate. My curse. My salvation. She belongs to me. "Today is your first day. What have you done?" I asked, my voice low. She shoved at me, weakly, but the defiance in her eyes sent a rush of heat through my veins.

"It was a mistake," she blurted out.

A mistake? She still doesn't understand. She had killed for the first time today. That changes a person. And I wanted that for her. I wanted her to stop looking at me like I was the monster in her story and realize, we were the same just a little bit different.

"He told me to..." She pointed to the knife, her voice shaking. "He said I should... I thought he was going to-"

"Come back just like I did," I finished for her. The way her breath caught, the way she stared at me like I had just peeled open her mind and read her thoughts, sent a thrill straight to my gut. I stepped closer, my fingers brushing against her cheek as I tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. So soft. So fragile. But she wouldn't be for long. I lowered my head, letting my lips graze the skin of her neck. Her pulse hammered beneath my touch, her breath hitching. She was scared. But she also wasn't pulling away.

"No one does that here," I murmured, my voice dropping to something more dangerous, more possessive. "Only I, Ryker - can die multiple times and still come back looking the same." I felt her shiver. Good. I tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet my gaze. "The only way I can die and never return is if you decide to leave." I let the words sink in, my thumb dragging slowly over her bottom lip. "But that isn't possible. This mate bond is for eternity."

Her lips parted slightly, her chest rising and falling too fast, and I knew she could feel it. The pull. The heat. The bond tying her to me, just as tightly as mine was tied to her. And fuck, I had been craving her. Since the moment I first saw her, that fire in her eyes, that challenge in her stance - I had wanted to claim her. Not just as my mate, but as mine in every way. I wanted her beneath me, gasping my name, knowing she could never belong to anyone else.

I dragged my fingers down her arm, feeling her shudder. My other hand settled on her waist, pulling her closer, pressing her body against mine. She was warm, too warm, and fuck, I was burning for her. "You feel it, don't you?" I whispered, my lips hovering just above hers. "This bond. This fire. It's not going away, Serena." She didn't answer, but I could hear it in the way her breath hitched, feel it in the way her fingers curled against my chest.

My grip tightened on her waist as I lowered my head. And then I kissed her. Hard. Deep. Like I had been starving for her. Because I had. The taste of her lips is a drug I never knew I needed. It's intoxicating - sweet, yet tainted with defiance. The way she trembles beneath me, torn between resisting and surrendering, only fuels the beast inside me.

I deepen the kiss, claiming her mouth with slow, deliberate hunger. My tongue strokes against hers, coaxing her, owning her. She gasps, her hands pushing weakly at my chest, but I don't let her escape. She belongs to me. She whimpers as I tilt her head back, pressing her against the cold wall. I savor the moment, tasting every inch of her mouth, drowning in the heat of her body. Her fingers clench into fists against my shirt, but she doesn't push me away.

A dark chuckle rumbles from my chest. "You fight me, little hellfire, but your body betrays you." That seems to snap her back. With a sudden jerk, she rips her lips from mine, her breath heavy, her eyes wide and wild.

"I - I hate you," she spits, her voice shaking. I smirk.

"Lies, mate. Your lips are still swollen from my kiss, and your body trembles for more." I trail a finger down her jaw, relishing the way she shivers under my touch. "You can hate me all you want, but you'll never escape what you feel." Her glare is sharp, but she doesn't move when I wrap my arm around her waist and lift her effortlessly into my arms.

"Put me down!" she protests, squirming.

"No." My voice is final. She belongs in my arms. She belongs in my bed. She belongs to me. Ignoring her feeble protests, I carry her into my room and kick the door shut behind me.

My chamber is dark. She tenses in my grasp as I lower her onto the silk sheets. She scrambles back, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. "You can't just...." I cage her in, crawling over her, forcing her to meet my gaze. "I can. And I will."

My fingers brush against her exposed collarbone, tracing down to the curve of her waist. "You're mine, Serena." She shakes her head, but her breath hitches when I grip her hip possessively. My hands roam over her, mapping her body like she was made for me, because yes, she was. I dip my head, my lips hovering just above her ear.

"Say you don't want this, and I'll stop." Her fingers clutch the sheets, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Her silence is my victory. I trail my lips down her neck, inhaling the scent of her arousal mixed with defiance. "You're like a flame, burning so brightly... But I'll be the one to consume you." She gasps as my hand slides lower, my fingers teasing, exploring.

"Stop," she whispers, but there's no conviction in her voice. I chuckle, my breath hot against her skin.

"Your words say no, but your body begs me to continue." She exhales sharply, her eyes locking onto mine.

"I hate you," she repeats. I smirk, my lips brushing against hers.

"Hate me all you want, little hellfire. But tonight, you're mine."

Chapter 7 Trapped in his touch

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